Pitch Us a Role

About Arq

What we do

Arq Foundation is an independent, philanthropically funded think tank based in Brussels. We focus on preparing for advanced AI and what it means for Europe — from economic competitiveness and industrial policy to safety, governance, and scientific progress. We produce research that shapes how policymakers navigate these dynamic, global, and unprecedented changes.

We are building an organisation from scratch. That means every early hire shapes what Arq becomes. We’re looking for people with high agency who see incomplete systems as opportunities, think in positive-sum terms, and bring genuine curiosity about the technology and policy questions we work on.

Our values

• High agency — You take ownership and drive things forward. You don’t just execute; you think along, notice what’s missing or could be improved, and take initiative to fix it. You follow through to outcomes, and use sound judgment about when to act independently and when to align, particularly where there are reputational or stakeholder implications.
• Intellectual humility — You update your views when presented with evidence.
• Positive-sum thinking — You believe in solutions that grow the pie, not zero-sum competition.
• Authenticity — You mean what you say, and you say it with respect and good judgment. You’re consistent in how you show up across contexts.
• Optimism — You believe things can be better and that it’s worth trying.

Why an open application

Our work moves quickly, and the most valuable people rarely fit neatly into a job description written before we met them. If you see how you could move Arq’s mission forward — whether that’s a function we haven’t thought of yet or a contribution that doesn’t exist anywhere else — we want to hear from you.

This is a genuine route in, not a formality. A strong, specific pitch tells us as much about how you think as any standard application would. We read every one.

Where we're hiring

To give you a sense of where we expect the most leverage: we anticipate hiring across a few broad shapes.

• Building internal operational capacity – e.g. by hiring a “Builder in Residence” to own our internal tooling, knowledge management, and AI-native workflows.
• “Forward-deployed policy roles” in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin — i.e. embedded professionals who contribute to and carry Arq's research into their political environment, build relationships, and open doors.
• “Full-stack researchers” who own a specific policy area end-to-end, with nearest-term priorities in breakthrough innovation and metascience (how Europe funds and organises science and R&D) and in resilience and defensive acceleration (advancing the technologies that keep society resilient as AI capabilities grow). We run a "full-stack" model — researchers carry their work from analysis through to direct stakeholder engagement and dissemination — and we scope roles with the people who fill them.

So if your pitch lines up with one of these, say so; if it doesn't, pitch us anyway.

What You’ll Do

Because this is an open application, the shape of the work depends on you and on where Arq needs the most leverage. In every case we expect you to:

• Own a domain end-to-end — take responsibility for a body of work and carry it through to outcomes, not just tasks.
• Improve how we operate — spot what’s missing or inefficient and build the systems, research, or relationships that fix it.
• Work across the team — collaborate closely with researchers, policy professionals, and operators, and represent Arq’s work credibly inside and outside the organisation.
• Step into what’s needed — pick up new priorities as a fast-growing, early-stage organisation throws them up.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Motivation for Arq’s mission. You care about the challenges posed by advanced AI and want to contribute to work that helps Europe navigate them well.
• A track record of ownership. You’ve taken something from idea to outcome and can talk us through how.
• A clear thesis on your contribution. You can explain the role you’d create or the area you’d strengthen, and why it matters now.
• Fluency in English. English is Arq’s working language; strong written and spoken English is essential. Other European languages (French, German) are a plus.
• Based in Brussels or willing to relocate.

Valuable but not required

You don’t need all of the below – these are examples of experience that can help you ramp up faster in the role:

• Experience in or adjacent to AI, technology, or innovation policy.
• A network across European institutions, government, or the research community.
• Experience building something — a team, a programme, a product, an organisation — from an early stage.

How to Apply

Submit your application via the form linked from the Apply button, and select “Open role” from the role dropdown.

Alongside your CV, tell us — in a few short paragraphs — the role you’d create or the area you’d strengthen, the value you’d add, and a recent example of work you owned end-to-end. If you’re aiming at one of the roles we expect to open soon, mention which.

Deadline: rolling — applications are always open, and we begin reviewing as they come in.

Referrals

Know someone who would be a great fit? We offer a €1,000 referral bonus when the candidate you refer is hired and completes their probation period. We don’t pay bonuses for referrals already known to us or in our pipeline. Submit referrals via our refer-a-candidate form: https://www.notion.so/0c42a70e68a6422896618ffca04711c1

Encouragement to Apply

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification listed above. Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are more likely to underestimate whether they are qualified for roles like this, so we especially encourage you not to exclude yourself prematurely.

If you have questions or need accommodations during the process, please contact Felicity Reddel.